Review: All The Lonely People by Mike Gayle

Hubert Bird is not alone in being alone.

He just needs to realise it.

In weekly phone calls to his daughter in Australia, widower Hubert Bird paints a picture of the perfect retirement, packed with fun, friendship and fulfilment.

But Hubert Bird is lying.

The truth is day after day drags by without him seeing a single soul.

Until, that is, he receives some good news - good news that in one way turns out to be the worst news ever, news that will force him out again, into a world he has long since turned his back on.

Now Hubert faces a seemingly impossible task: to make his real life resemble his fake life before the truth comes out.

Along the way Hubert stumbles across a second chance at love, renews a cherished friendship and finds himself roped into an audacious community scheme that seeks to end loneliness once and for all . . .

Life is certainly beginning to happen to Hubert Bird. But with the origin of his earlier isolation always lurking in the shadows will he ever get to live the life he's pretended to have for so long?

Review: Ah this book was so beautiful and so timely. I don't know why I am surprised because Mike Gayle never disappoints when it comes to representing raw, real life in beautiful ways in his novels. I loved meeting Hubert Bird and getting an insight into his long and storied life. 

This book confronts loneliness and its various forms head on right from the word go and continues to look at what that means to different people and its various effects throughout the book. It covers not only how loneliness can set in when you live on your own, but loneliness brought on through loss of a loved on and also the very real loneliness that occurs when you move to another country. Hubert Bird was part of the Windrush immigrants to the UK and so experiences what it was like to sometimes be the only black person in a room. His wife then goes on to experience the loneliness of motherhood, especially when your baby is judged to be something less by some people. I love the way loneliness is fully explored in this novel in ways I never thought possible. 

Of course there is an attempt to combat that loneliness and that comes in the form of neighbor Ashleigh. Ashley is one of those people that once she sets her mind to it, nothing can stand in her way. She is determined to be involved in Hubert's life and there really isn't anything he can do about it. Her quest extends beyond Hubert though and then we get to see how a community can pull together when it has the right people at the helm-just so beautiful. Ashleigh is the perfect sidekick for Hubert and I love their interaction.

The structure of this book is also wonderful. We have parallel time lines, a then and now. The now pretty much remains the same but then then parts of the story takes us back to Hubert's roots and shows how his life in the UK came together. Through this structure, Mike Gayle explores hot topics such as racism, grief, homelessness, addiction and dementia in a sensitive and timely manner. This all feeds into the theme of loneliness and every moments of Hubert's past helps us as readers get to know him in the present and really drives the plot forwards. 

As much as loneliness is a depressing topic to think about, it is dealt with incredibly sensitively in this book and also it is explored so fully that I defy anyone not to feel uplifted by reading Hubert's story. This book is so wonderful and definitely couldn't have come along at a more appropriate moment in time. I have and will continue to recommend all of Mike Gayle's novels but this new one is a game changer for certain. Highly recommend. 

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

Blog Tour: Review of The Man I Think I Know by Mike Gayle

I am very excited to be part of the blog tour for Mike Gayle's new novel The Man I Think I Know. It was released in the UK on April 19th and the links to order are below my review!

Ever since The Incident, James DeWitt has stayed on the safe side.

He likes to know what happens next.

Danny Allen is not on the safe side. He is more past the point of no return.

The past is about to catch up with both of them in a way that which will change their lives forever, unexpectedly.

But redemption can come in the most unlikely ways.

Review: Now I love a Mike Gayle novel but I knew as soon as I started this one that I was in for something different, this was something extra special! This books lured me in right from the word go by being structured as a dual narrative. Both of our narrators are Male which is unusual for me, but I loved both of them and wanted to know everything about them as soon as they started telling their story. The title of this novel is so clever because it is them talking about themselves as much as it is them talking about each other, just mind-blowing!

I loved both of these characters because they are both such strong characters but they both have their flaws. I loved reading about people who aren't perfect because we aren't perfect and I love an author that tells the truth like that. James is a fabulous character because he had a life changing event and so her is very much starting again and forming a new life for himself. Danny is pretty much doing the same thing although for completely different reasons. They are connected in so many ways and on so many levels that I'm not even sure I have discovered all of them yet! They have both made questionable decisions and sometimes not been 'nice' to other people but it's who they are now that matters and boy are they learning that as well!

The story takes place as these two men become involved in each others lives but we get to know their individual lives as much as we get to know their lives together and so this storyline can get fairly complicated. It also deals with some difficult issues which may prove to be triggers for some readers so make sure you read the synopsis before digging in. I went in blind but I felt that the more troubling and difficult of the issues that these men have to deal with were dealt with incredibly well. I loved the narrative and I left this novel feeling totally uplifted and like I had gone through this journey with them. I loved this book and I now feel like there is some hope in the world!

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

Review: The Hope Family Calendar by Mike Gayle

Tom Hope is broken. Ever since his wife Laura died he hasn't been the same man, and definitely not the same father. Luckily for Tom his mother-in-law Linda is around to pick up the pieces and look after his two struggling daughters, Evie and Lola.

But Tom getting arrested on the first anniversary of his wife's death is the last straw for Linda.

In a last bid attempt to make Tom reconnect with his daughters she takes drastic action and leaves for Australia. With two fast-maturing daughters Tom has to learn how to accept his responsibilities and navigate the newly discovered world of single fatherhood - starting immediately.

With only himself to rely on, will Tom fall back into grief or finally step up and be the father his girls need?

Review: Oh it was so great to be back in the world of Mike Gayle's writing again. I don't know why it took me so long to pick up another of his novels, this one has been sitting on my TBR for so long and I just loved every moment of it! Mike Gayle writes a fabulous male lead, of course, and his books are always so character driven, it is hard not to be swept along by them. I listened to this one as an audiobook and the person that narrates the Mike Gayle audiobooks that I have listened to always does a great job.

This is basically the story of a father having to cope with the loss of his wife at the same time as having to cope with being a full time dad again. There is also a parallel storyline involving his mother in law Linda and her own journey of self-discovery. I loved the relationship that that two characters have and that they do have such a strong relationship still after their respective wife and daughter leave their lives. Of course there are some really emotional moments in this book, when you are dealing with grief, what do you expect. I loved reading about Tom's relationship with his children though and his struggle to try and live up to his wife's way of doing things sometimes leads to some really funny moments as well!

I liked Tom as a c character, he is not without his flaws and so was easy to relate to from the word go. He grows as a person as well as as a father over the course of the novel and this was great to watch. As I mentioned above, Linda also plays a key role in the novel. The way it is structured is that there is a Tom chapter followed by a Linda chapter, and it generally follows that form over the whole novel. She too has a journey of self-discovery and this really opens up the audience of the book. We have lead characters, one male and one who is older, something which Mike Gayle does incredibly well.

Of course there is a little romance thrown into this book as well as new friendships. I loved reading about these relationships, there were some real aww moments for me, and not just when Tom has a in with his daughters. There is so much to love about this book and if you are new to this author, this would be a great starting place. I think this is definitely something fans of this genre should be adding to their TBRs, but also something for those of you who prefer an older protagonist, or a male lead. A great read!

To order your copy now, click here!

Review: Dinner for Two by Mike Gayle

Dave Harding's got a wonderful wife, a beautiful home, and a job he could do in his sleep... So no one is more surprised than Dave when he hears his own biological clock start ticking. Loudly. Unfortunately, his better half, Izzy, has no nine-month plan for fat ankles or a credit line at Baby Gap. With even worse timing, the music magazine Dave writes for folds. Desperate for work, he's forced to become an advice columnist for a teen magazine. But he's about to get a serious wake-up call. Wading through letter after letter of adolescent angst is the last thing Dave wants to do, especially since he could use some help dealing with his own. But one letter is about to make all his little problems disappear -- and replace them with one big one. The letter is from a teenage girl named Nicola. But she doesn't need advice about boys, or friends, or the latest fads. She's looking for her father, whom she's never met. She's looking for a man to call Dad. She's looking for Dave.

Review: I really enjoy novels by this author, this will be the third novels I've read and I have others sitting on my shelves. I tend to read his novels in audiobook form and they are always narrated really well even though they've all been read by different people! This writer usually delivers a good dose of humour in his novels, and this was no different, it had me laughing out loud at several points and the general witty tone continues right the way through. 

I like the idea for this storyline, someone in a relationship where one of them wants and child and the other doesn't and then he discovers that he has a child from a previous encounter. The general lace of the novel started off really well but from about the midpoint until just before the ending, it really slowed down, making it a little difficult to see where it was going. It was as if there had either been a break in writing, or else this part had been added in afterwards... Overall though I thought the story was to,d really well and I didn't know how it was going to end until literally the last moment. A great way to end a novel. 

The character of Dave was quite interesting. He seems like a genuinely nice bloke, but over the course of the novel he does make some bad choices and so I really didn't know whether to like him or not. I think overall I did warm to him, based on his character profile in the beginning of the novel. We get to hear some of the articles he is writing for work and he is genuinely a funny guy with a heart of gold. I loved his wife's character up until her kind of turning point in the middle. Again she made some choices that made me a little uncomfortable, that I didn't really think she would make and this made me dislike her just a little bit! Dave's daughter, Nicola, is a lovely character, she is kind and generous. Her level of trust that she out in Dave, a near stranger, did make me a little uncomfortable though, but I do have to remember that this was written a few years ago when society was generally a more trusting place. 

Despite the fact that I've picked apart the characters and the pace a little, I genuinely thought this was a really fun read. It was just he perfect length and I am glad I heard Daves story. The ending is brilliant and this is definitely something that will appeal to a range of audiences. If you are a Mike Gayle fan, you will enjoy this novel and if you are new to his writing, this is an excellent indicator of the kind of humour and warmth that you can expect from his other novels. 

Review: Turning forty by Mike Gayle

How to turn forty:

1. Set yourself a personal challenge.

2. Clear wardrobe of all age-inappropriate clothing.

3. Relax.

How not to turn forty:

1. Have a complete meltdown . . .

High flier Matt Beckford's sole ambition is to turn forty with his life sorted. And with a Porsche on the drive and a job that requires him to spend more time in BA's club lounge than his own lounge, it looks like things are going in the right direction. But when Matt's wife unexpectedly calls time on their marriage, a chain of events is set in motion that very quickly sees him facing forty broke, homeless and completely alone.

But all is not lost because Matt has a plan . .

Review: I got this book on audiobook after enjoying one of Mike Gayle's previous novels on audiobook. I really liked the idea of the storyline, a guy who thinks he has every but as he approaches forty it all egging to unravel. This is a reality facing a lot of people as they reach milestone birthdays. There is high redundancy and a high rate of divorce in th country and so people find themselves starting from square one again more often than we realise. 

The book got off to a really good start, it made me laugh in several places. When Matt returns home he finds himself in his local supermarket bumping into people left right and centre, I know that every time I return home, this happens to me and so I found myself really chuckling at these parts of the book. Other parts of the storyline were much more touching and I found a different kind of emotion being evoked. Some of the scenes where he is speaking to his soon to be ex wife are particularly touching, and the reconciliation he attempts to have with his childhood girlfriend made me feel quite uncomfortable and almost sorry for him. 

The characters in this book were all easy to get along with and, although I didn't particularly like Matt, I found myself sympathising with him and wanting to succeed in his goals. His parents are absolutely hilarious and somenofthe friends he catches up with along his journey provide some hilarious moments too. All the characters were realistic and all supported the storyline in their own way. 

I found this a particularly pacey read and it didn't take me long to get into it. I really liked the ending, it was totally realistic and not the cop-out I was worried might bring the novel to a close. I didn't fall in love with the book but I found it very entertaining and am glad I got it off my wish list and onto my read list. I have a few more Mike Gayle novels sitting on my shelf and I am very much looking forward to reading them having enjoyed two of his novels in fairly close succession! 

Lucy Robinson & Mike Gayle at Brixton Library!

At the end of last year I went to an awesome event at Brixton library featuring five fabulous female authors-it was a brilliant night! So when I heard they were having another event featuring an author, who's writing never fails to make me laugh, Lucy Robinson I knew I had to make it there! The event also featured women's fiction author Mile Gayle-there to talk about his latest book The Stag and Hen Weekend. This book was on my TBR pile so I quickly bumped it to the top so that I could be a little more informed about the other author at this event.

The event was very well organised and well attended as last year-these guys really know how to host an author! We waited patiently for the Lucy and Mike arrive and when they did, they both had such obvious stage presence, I knew we were going to be thoroughly entertained... Mike Gayle gave us a reading from his novel, which I have reviewed here on the blog. He read from the very beginning where Phil is preparing to go off on his stag do and Helen is making him a packed lunch for the journey, their interaction at this point is very Funny.

The audience asked him several questions and he told us that writing females as a male author does have it's drawbacks, he hopes not to come accords as a man putting on a woman's voice and that he avoids female stereotypes, and indeed make stereotypes to avoid this happening. He says that the way he writes is to plan everything thoroughly beforehand, to really know where the story is going. Once you've got the plan out of the way, the book just naturally comes together as you write it. He really made the audience laugh when he told us that the hardest thing abut writing females as a male author is dressing them and that, in actual fact, he uses the Next catalogue to choose outfits for the women in his book!

Lucy said that her male characters are very much inspired by her partner. That the scruffiness and laid back attitude of her most recent male lead definitely came from real life. Lucy also said that by the time her books actually come to the shelf she begins to hate them because she has been so involved with the writing and editing of them that she just wants to see the back of them. She talked about the book that she is currently writing, which she describes as her favourite so far, it's going to be based in the world of opera. She made us laugh by telling us that the writing process for her takes about a year, but that involves 2 months of procrastinating and another month of 'research' which is essentially more procrastination!

Lucy read a section of her latest novel A Passionate Love Affair with a Total Stranger an demonstrated why her books are such a hit, by having the audience in absolute stitches in a scene where her main character Charley is in hospital and interacting with her eccentric parents. Both authors were presented with a book cake at the end of the evening to take home, but, don't worry, there was also cake to be had four audience members. The authors stuck around to sign their novels, which were available to buy, and Lucy Robinson was even lovely enough to pose for a picture with me-using her phone since mine had run out of battery!

If you haven't read The Stag and Hen Weekend, you can find my review right here on the blog. I have also reviewed Lucy Robinson's two hilarious novels, The Greatest Love Story of all Time and A Passionate Love Affair with a Total Stranger over on The Sweet Bookshelf